Mississippi College will be constructing its first president’s home on the Clinton campus in nearly 50 years.

The new two-story home for the university’s president and family will be constructed by next summer on the site of the former McGuffee House and Hilltop Theater in Clinton.

The MC site will be prepped, and the slab of the four-bedroom residence will be poured before the winter at the three-acre site on the corner of Capitol and Madison streets. The attractive home will be located near MC’s new 22,000-square-foot science building along College Street.

A special board committee was formed to design the home and provide general oversight of the project. The location of the new home and removal of the former structures was approved by the university’s Board of Trustees. Approval was also gained through the city’s review and approval process.

The Hilltop Theater was once a popular Clinton movie house through the 1960s. After it was acquired by Mississippi College, the building was initially used as the university’s band hall. Student musical groups also utilized it over the years. The building had been unoccupied and used only sparingly for several years.

Prior to removal, the university’s art department used the McGuffee House. Currently, both the university’s band facility and a new Art Department Annex are located on the university’s East Campus in facilities formerly purchased from the Clinton School District.

As part of the site’s selection, MC purchased the space behind the property from the City of Clinton.

“Acquiring this property was essential in order to provide green space which, along with an attractive president’s home, will enhance the University’s border and its transition into Olde Towne,” said Steve Stanford, vice president for administration and government relations.

Due to its prime location on the Clinton campus, the new residence will be a much more convenient and accessible destination point for Mississippi College alumni, distinguished guests, faculty, staff, students and other visitors welcomed by MC presidents for decades to come.

Contact Andy Kanengiser, University News Coordinator, at 601.925.7760 or at kanengis@mc.edu.